Here you will find the answers to a number of common questions about IRPO.

What is the Individual Registrant Privacy Option and how did it come about?The Individual Registrant Privacy Option (IRPO) is an optional feature available for individuals who are not in significant trade. Choosing to use IRPO withholds the telephone number and contact address information provided to the .nz Query Service.

The introduction of the Individual Registrant Privacy Option follows a comprehensive review involving five public consultations and calls from many in the Internet community for greater privacy protection. More information about the 2015-16 review can be found at https://dnc.org.nz/whois-review.

What is a domain name registration data query, and what is the Query Service?A domain name registration data query is our new proposed term for what is currently known as a WHOIS search – where people can search for the registration details of a domain name. Query Service is our new proposed term for what is currently known as the WHOIS Service.

What information can a .nz authorised Registrar still collect from me when registering a domain if I want to choose the individual registrant privacy option?When registering a domain name it is still necessary to provide your contact details including telephone number, physical address and email address to a .nz authorised Registrar, such as Freeparking. This is a requirement of .nz policy and ensures Registrars can contact their registrants in relation to the administration of their domain name.

Under the Individual Registrant Privacy Option I can choose to have my telephone number and address withheld. What does ‘withheld’ mean?It means that your telephone and contact address information won’t be visible when somebody does a domain name registration data query (currently known as a WHOIS search) on your domain name. Importantly, that information still exists in the register of .nz domain names – it just won’t be publicly visible.

When will the Individual Registrant Privacy Option be available?The Registrant Privacy Option will be available from Freeparking from 1 December 2017.

How do I take up the Individual Registrant Privacy Option when it becomes available, and what will be involved?When the Individual Registrant Privacy Option becomes available you’ll be able to take it up through your .nz authorised registrar (domain name provider). It will involve a declaration through your .nz authorised registrar that you’re an individual registrant and not using your domain name for significant trade. When you’ve made the declaration, your telephone and contact address information will be withheld from public display in the .nz Query Service (currently known as the WHOIS).

How do I enable IRPO on my domains?Please click here to see our help article on enabling IRPO.

Do I need to enable on each of my domains, or only once?You will need to enable IRPO on each individual domain. This is because you must confirm that the domains are for personal use and are not attached to an entity that is in significant trade.

Why can’t I enable IRPO on my .com domains?IRPO is only available for any domains that finish in a .nz.

Why can’t all individual registrants automatically be given the individual Registrant Privacy Option?An automatic application of the Individual Registrant Privacy Option to all individual registrants would cover those individual registrants who use their domain name for significant trade purposes. Those who use their domain name in this way should not be able to the Individual Registrant Privacy Option. Many domain names are registered in the name of individuals but used for business or trading – these activities carry with them a lesser need for the Individual Registrant Privacy Option when it comes to display of contact information. We’re also aware that there are some individual registrants who still want all their information publicly displayed. As such, the IRPO is an opt-in system.

Are there any circumstances that the Domain Name Commission would authorise access to withheld information?DNCL’s dominant position is information withheld because of the Individual Registrant Privacy Option will not be disclosed unless authorised or required by law. In all our decisions about the release of withheld information we are guided by the Privacy Act 1993 in particular Principal 11 and relevant sections of this Act. The Privacy Act 1993 places an extremely high threshold on the release of withheld data.